Face-protector.



No. 825,170. PATENTBD JULY 3, 1906. W. G. ALLEN.

PACE PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1905.

n1: uonms psrsxs ca. WASHINGTON. u c,

WILBURN (J. ALLEN, OF

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

FACE-PROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed deptemher 21,1905. Serial No. 279.478.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILBURN C. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Face-Protectors, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in face-protectors.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which will protect theface and cars from the cold and from dust or dirt.

My invention is particularly well adapted for use by persons riding uponrapidly-moving vehicles, such as automobiles, locomotives, or electriccars.

My invention provides a mask having suitable means for being secured tothe head, the mask having a transparent portion for the eyes and anopening for the nose and mouth, a closure having suitable locking meansbeing provided for said opening.

My invention provides, further, a closure for the nose and mouth openingwhich is hinged to the mask in a manner such that it may be swungdownward by gravity when it is desired to uncover said opening.

My invention provides, further, two earflaps, preferably detachable fromthe mask and so hinged thereto that they may be swung between the maskand face when it is desired to uncover the ears.

My invention provides, further, a ridge or raised portion around theinner side and along the edges of the mask for retaining the body of themask out of contact with the face.

Other novel features are hereinafter fully described and claimed In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the maskmounted upon a persons head, the head being shown in dotted lines, theadjacent ear-flap being shown in position for covering the ear, and theclosure for the nose and mouth opening being shown in solid lines in theclosed posi tion and in dotted lines in the open position. Fig. 2 is afront view of the mask, showing the closure in the closed position. Fig.3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the mask. Fig. 4 is aninner side elevation view of part of the mask and one of the ear-flaps,the ear-flap being shown compressed ready for detachment. Fig. 5 is aninner side elevation view of a portion of the mask and one of theear-flaps secured thereto, portions of the ridge on the inner side ofthe mask being shown in vertical section, disclosing the sock etstherein and the pivot projections of the ear-flap.

Similar characters of reference denote similar parts.

1 denotes the body of the mask, preferably having the general contour ofa persons face and provided with a lower end adapted to cover the chin.Secured upon opposite sides to the upper end of the mask are two straps2 and 3, provided with means of any suitable character for beingadjustably connected to each other and adapted to be passed over the topof the head for supporting the mask therefrom. Two straps 4 and 5 aresecured to opposite sides of the mask and are provided with means forbeing adjustably secured to each other and are adapted to embrace therear side of the head for securing the mask to the face. The mask isprovided with two transparent portions 6, adapted to register,respectively, with the eyes when the mask is properly positioned. Themask is provided with an opening 7 for the nose and mouth and may beclosed by means of a closure 8, hinged below the opening 7 at the point9 in a manner such that the closure is swung downwardly when moved tothe open position and retained in such position by gravity, thusdispensing with the necessity of holding the closure by the hand in theopen position. A locking device is provided to retain the closure in theclosed position. A preferable form of locking device is of the kindordinarily used for a glove-fastener. In the locking device illustratedthe closure 8, adjacent its upper end, is provided with a socket 10,adapted to receive therein and hold by friction a pin 11, secured to themask above the opening 7. To retain the body of the mask out of contactwith the face, the inner side of the mask around its edges is pro videdwith a raised portion or ridge 12, preferably of some pliable material,such as cork, felt, sponge, or soft rubber. For covering the ears twoflaps 13 are provided, each being preferably compressible and providedwith means by which, when compressed, they may be detached from themask. The earflaps are preferably hinged to the mask in a manner suchthat they may be swung when not in use between the face and mask, the

I ridge 12 serving to provide a space between the face and mask for sopositioning the flaps.

In the preferable form of construction each flap has a body portion, ofvelvet or other suitable material, secured around its edges, exceptingalong the edge abutting against the mask, to a resilient U-shaped wire14, the ends of which are turned so as to form projections 15, adaptedto enter and be pivotally mounted in recesses 16, provided therefor inthe mask. The ridge 12 at each side of the mask has a cut-out portionbetween the ends of which is mounted the adj a cent ear-flap. Opposingends of each cutout portion of the ridge have provided therein thesocket 16. To detach the flaps 13, the wires 14 are compressed at theirends, as shown in Fig. 4, thus withdrawing them from the socket 16 andpermitting the removal from the mask of the flaps. To limit the movementoutwardly of the flaps 13, the edge of each flap adjacent the mask abutsagainst the adjacent edge of the mask, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Thisconstruction, however, permits the inwardly swinging of the flaps 13prior to the fitting of the mask to the head to the position representedin Fig. 3.

In using my invention the mask is applied to the face with the flaps 13,when used, positioned as shown in Fig. 1. The straps 2, 3, 4, and 5 arethen mounted on the head and adjusted relative to each other topositions for suitably positioning the mask. If for any purpose it isdesired to uncover the opening 7, the locking device of the closure 8 isreleased and the closure is swung downward to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 1. To remove the ear-flaps, it is but necessary tocompress them to the position indicated in Fig. 4:, after which they maybe detached.

My invention may be variously modified without departing from itsspirit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead, transparent portions adapted to register with the eyes, an openingadapted to be disposed before the nose and mouth, a closure hinged tothe body of the mask for closing said opening and twoflaps hinged to thebody of the mask for covering the ears.

2. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead, the body having transparent portions adapted to register with theeyes and having an opening adapted to be disposed before the nose andmouth, a closure hinged to the body of the mask for covering saidopening and two detachable flaps for covering the ears and provided withmeans for securing to the body of the mask.

3. A face-protector comprising a mask havl I ing means for securingtofthe head and having transparent portions adapted to register with theeyes, and an opening for registering with the nose and mouth, a closurefor said opening, and two flaps for covering the ears hinged to the bodyof the mask and detachable therefrom.

4. Aface-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead the body having transparent portions adapted to register with theeyes, and an opening for the nose and mouth, a closure for said openinghinged to the body so as to swing downward when swung to the openposition, and two detachable flaps for covering the ears and hinged tothe body so as to be swung clear of the ears when they are not used as acovering therefor.

5. Aface-protector comprising amask having means for securing to thehead and provided with transparent portions for the eyes and an openingfor the nose and mouth, a closure for said opening hinged to the mask soas to swing downward for uncovering the opening, releasable means forlocking the closure in a closed position, and two flaps for covering theears and hinged to the mask so as to be swung when not in use, to aposition uncovering the ears.

6. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead, and two flaps for covering the ears hinged to the mask so as to beswung between the mask and face when not used as coverings for the ears.

7. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead and two flaps for covering the ears hinged to the mask anddetachable therefrom.

8. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead and two detachable flaps for covering the ears held engaged withthe body of the mask by springpressure and releasable therefrom whencompressed in the proper manner.

9. A face-protector comprising a mask having means for securing to thehead and having on its inner side around the edges a ridge for retainingthe mask out of contact with the face, the mask having transparentportions for the eyes and an opening for the nose and mouth, a closurefor said opening and hinged so as to be swung downward to the openposition, releasable means for locking the closure in a closed position,and two flaps for covering the ears hinged to the mask so as to be swungto positions between the mask and face when not in use.

10. The combination with a mask having on its inner side around itsedges a ridge havat each side of the mask portions cut out of the ridgeto receive the ear-flaps, of the two ear-flaps hinged to the mask insaid outout portions of the ridge respectively.

11. The combination with a mask having on its inner side around itsedges a ridge having at opposite sides cut-out portions provided eachwith two sockets, of the two earflaps each having two projections fittedin the adjacent sockets so that the flaps may be swung to position forcovering or uncovering the ears.

12. The combination with a mask having four sockets disposed two at eachside, of two ear-flaps each having two projections nor mally held byspring-pressure in the two adjacent sockets, each ear-flap beingcompressible so that the projections thereon may be removed from saidsockets.

13. The combination with a mask having means for securing to the headand having transparent portions for the eyes and an opening for the noseand mouth, of a closure for said opening hinged to the mask so as to beswung downward when moved to the open position, and two detachablecompressible flaps for covering the ears and having means for pivotallyengaging the mask, said pivotal means being released from the mask whenthe flaps are properly compressed.

14. A face-protector provided with a mask having means for securing tothe head, the mask having means for covering the ears and provided withtransparent portions for the eyes and having an opening for the nose andmouth, a closure for said opening pivoted to the mask so as to swingdownward when moved to the open position, and releasable means forlocking the closure in the closed position, the mask having a raisedportion on its inner side and around its edges.

In testimony whereof I a'l'liX my signature in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WVILBURN O. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

WARREN D. I-IoUsE, M. W. ADKINS.

